"I’m one of those people you hate because of genetics. It's the truth."
- Brad Pitt
Known for his rugged good looks, Brad Pitt got his break as the hard-bodied scam artist in Thelma and Louise. But it was his riskier roles as the volatile Tyler Durden in Fight Club and the insane Jeffrey Goines in 12 Monkeys that earned him acclaim and an Oscar nod. Born to a trucking firm owner father and a school counselor mother, William Bradley Pitt is better known as 'Brad Pitt'. He was born on December 18th, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but was raised in Springfield, Missouri. He is the oldest in the family and has a younger brother, Doug and a younger sister, Julie.
Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming teams. He participated in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals. Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism, with a focus on advertising.
Two weeks before earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs. Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco."
Pitt's earliest credited roles were in television, starting on the daytime soap opera "Another World" (1964) before appearing in the recurring role of Randy on the legendary primetime sudser "Dallas" (1978).
Pitt made his big screen debut in 1989's horror film Cutting Class with Donovan Leitch, and played a teen track star in Sandy Tung's Across the Tracks. Pitt finally gained notice in Ridley Scott’s ‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991) as the wickedly charming drifter who seduces Geena Davis and then robs her blind. His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as a sex symbol.
1994 marked a significant turning point in Pitt's career. Starring as the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the feature film Interview with the Vampire, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, he was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. He won two MTV Movie Awards at the 1995 ceremony. Following the release of Interview with the Vampire, Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall (1994). Pitt received his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category. In 1995, Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in the crime thriller Seven, playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer. Seven earned $327 million at the international box office. In the 1997 movie The Devil's Own Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford, as the Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany, a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent. In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden in Fight Club, directed by David Fincher. Pitt prepared for the part with lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling. To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended. Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole, Pitt's performance was widely praised.
On 29 July 2000, Pitt married ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston in a fabulous cliff-top ceremony in Malibu. In 2001, Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy The Mexican. The same year, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series Friends, playing a man with a grudge against Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, to whom Pitt was married at the time. In December 2001, Pitt had the role of Rusty Ryan in the heist film Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original. He joined an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. Well received by critics, Ocean's Eleven was highly successful at the box office, earning $450 million worldwide. He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and playing Boomhauer's brother, Patch, in an episode of the animated television series King of the Hill.
Pitt's portrayal of Achilles in the big-budget period drama Troy (2004) helped establish his appeal as action star and was closely followed by a co-starring role in the stylish spy-versus-spy flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). It was on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith that Pitt met his current partner Angelina Jolie. The action flick, about a married couple who are both secretly working as spies, earned more than $100 million at the box office. On 7 January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced their split. Following his divorce, Pitt started dating Jolie and the couple were dubbed “Brangelina” by the media. Pitt readily took on the role of ‘dad’ to Jolie’s two adopted children. The family expanded to three in 2006 with the birth of the couple's first child, to four in 2007 with the adoption of a Vietnamese boy, and finally to six in 2008, with the birth of fraternal twins.
In 2007, he signed on to reteam with David Fincher for the first occasion since Fight Club, with -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – a story about a man who falls in love while he is aging in reverse. When the special effects heavy film hit theaters in time for awards season in 2008, Pitt garnered a Best Actor nomination from both the Academy and the Screen Actors Guild. Also in 2007, Pitt produced an adaptation of Marianne Pearl's memoir A Mighty Heart that starred Angelina Jolie.
Not resting on his acting laurels, Pitt produce movies via his Plan B Entertainment. Reached tremendous success in producing Oscar-winning picture "The Departed" (2006), he effortlessly moved on to afterwards produce a number of titles like "Year of the Dog" (2007), "A Mighty Heart" (2007), "The Time Traveler's Wife" (2008), "World War Z" (2008), and "Peace Like a River" (2009). The prolific actor continues to play roles both in front of the camera and behind the scenes as a producer with credits in hits including 2010's ‘Kick Ass’ and ‘Eat Pray Love’.
Somewhat of a humanitarian, Pitt actively supports AIDS research and global environmental issues, fight against world poverty. He is a spokesman for the ONE campaign in the US, part of the international Make Poverty History movement, and travelled to Turkey in 2001 to entertain the American troops. Pitt was also involved in the reconstruction of New Orleans after the Katrina hurricane disaster. He voiced his support for same-sex marriages in the October 2006 issue of Esquire magazine.
Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming teams. He participated in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals. Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism, with a focus on advertising.
Two weeks before earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs. Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco."
Pitt's earliest credited roles were in television, starting on the daytime soap opera "Another World" (1964) before appearing in the recurring role of Randy on the legendary primetime sudser "Dallas" (1978).
Pitt made his big screen debut in 1989's horror film Cutting Class with Donovan Leitch, and played a teen track star in Sandy Tung's Across the Tracks. Pitt finally gained notice in Ridley Scott’s ‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991) as the wickedly charming drifter who seduces Geena Davis and then robs her blind. His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as a sex symbol.
1994 marked a significant turning point in Pitt's career. Starring as the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the feature film Interview with the Vampire, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, he was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. He won two MTV Movie Awards at the 1995 ceremony. Following the release of Interview with the Vampire, Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall (1994). Pitt received his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category. In 1995, Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in the crime thriller Seven, playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer. Seven earned $327 million at the international box office. In the 1997 movie The Devil's Own Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford, as the Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany, a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent. In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden in Fight Club, directed by David Fincher. Pitt prepared for the part with lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling. To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended. Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole, Pitt's performance was widely praised.
On 29 July 2000, Pitt married ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston in a fabulous cliff-top ceremony in Malibu. In 2001, Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy The Mexican. The same year, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series Friends, playing a man with a grudge against Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, to whom Pitt was married at the time. In December 2001, Pitt had the role of Rusty Ryan in the heist film Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original. He joined an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. Well received by critics, Ocean's Eleven was highly successful at the box office, earning $450 million worldwide. He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and playing Boomhauer's brother, Patch, in an episode of the animated television series King of the Hill.
Pitt's portrayal of Achilles in the big-budget period drama Troy (2004) helped establish his appeal as action star and was closely followed by a co-starring role in the stylish spy-versus-spy flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). It was on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith that Pitt met his current partner Angelina Jolie. The action flick, about a married couple who are both secretly working as spies, earned more than $100 million at the box office. On 7 January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced their split. Following his divorce, Pitt started dating Jolie and the couple were dubbed “Brangelina” by the media. Pitt readily took on the role of ‘dad’ to Jolie’s two adopted children. The family expanded to three in 2006 with the birth of the couple's first child, to four in 2007 with the adoption of a Vietnamese boy, and finally to six in 2008, with the birth of fraternal twins.
In 2007, he signed on to reteam with David Fincher for the first occasion since Fight Club, with -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – a story about a man who falls in love while he is aging in reverse. When the special effects heavy film hit theaters in time for awards season in 2008, Pitt garnered a Best Actor nomination from both the Academy and the Screen Actors Guild. Also in 2007, Pitt produced an adaptation of Marianne Pearl's memoir A Mighty Heart that starred Angelina Jolie.
Not resting on his acting laurels, Pitt produce movies via his Plan B Entertainment. Reached tremendous success in producing Oscar-winning picture "The Departed" (2006), he effortlessly moved on to afterwards produce a number of titles like "Year of the Dog" (2007), "A Mighty Heart" (2007), "The Time Traveler's Wife" (2008), "World War Z" (2008), and "Peace Like a River" (2009). The prolific actor continues to play roles both in front of the camera and behind the scenes as a producer with credits in hits including 2010's ‘Kick Ass’ and ‘Eat Pray Love’.
Somewhat of a humanitarian, Pitt actively supports AIDS research and global environmental issues, fight against world poverty. He is a spokesman for the ONE campaign in the US, part of the international Make Poverty History movement, and travelled to Turkey in 2001 to entertain the American troops. Pitt was also involved in the reconstruction of New Orleans after the Katrina hurricane disaster. He voiced his support for same-sex marriages in the October 2006 issue of Esquire magazine.
References: Wikipedia; The Biography Channel; People; AceShowBiz; IMDb; Star Pulse; biography.com
Photo Courtesy: Google Images
Photo Courtesy: Google Images